Du Page Opposes Limit On Landfills

What`s good for Chicago isn`t necessarily good for Du Page County, according to members of the Du Page County Board.

Board members voted 16-4 Tuesday to oppose legislation in the Illinois House and Senate that would prohibit new sanitary landfills within five miles of an existing landfill.

The legislation, sponsored by State Sen. Glenn Dawson (D., Chicago) and Rep. Samuel Panayotovich (D., Chicago), is designed to protect Chicago`s Southeast Side from more landfills.

But Du Page board members said Tuesday that the legislation would hamstring their efforts to deal with Du Page`s solid waste problem.

``We`re merely trying to preserve our options,`` said board member William Bates (R., Elmhurst), chairman of the county board`s Solid Waste Committee. With the county`s two landfills nearing saturation, the committee is looking for alternatives.

``Blocking this legislation will give us time to complete our study,`` he said. ``A third landfill may be an option and it may not.``

But Panayotovich pointed out that the Chicago City Council moratorium on landfill development expires this month and that legislation is needed to protect his area.

He said Waste Management Inc. is considering opening a landfill at 118th Street and Stony Island Avenue, and another is being proposed near Carver High School at 13100 S. Doty Ave.

``I`ll exempt Du Page if it means the bill will pass,`` he said, but he indicated that he thinks the legislation is not likely to pass unless people adversely affected by landfills lobby their senators and representatives.

Du Page`s two landfills are in the Mallard Lake Forest Preserve, near Hanover Park, and the Greene Valley Forest Preserve, near Woodridge.

In recent years, Hanover Park residents angry about the Mallard Lake landfill frequently have confronted county board members to force the landfill to close early.

Among the ideas for dealing with the county`s solid waste is incineration. The board`s Public Works Committee also has asked engineering firms to submit ``new technology proposals`` for handling the waste.